Author: collegebbfan

Binghamton (66) vs. New Hampshire (73) 1/14/17

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#42 of 351    12% complete

 

The University of New Hampshire campus reminded me of UCONN in the seventies. As one drives by the dairy farms, veterinary clinics and horse stalls, I was reminded of the epic Yankee Conference battles between New Hampshire and UCONN in the late 60’s. UCONN and UNH have gone opposite ways in terms of athletics but nevertheless I could feel the ghosts of Wes Bialosuknia  and Toby Kimball in the gym.

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Today was youth day with many families in the crowds. It is a piece of Americana when a father brings his daughter dressed in a cheerleader uniform to these games. Although hockey is king at UNH, I was surprised by the size of the crowd. However, there was no band or any student section. This was the one trip a year where I bring my wife Linda. In exchange for her hardship, I agree to go shopping or something else that she likes. She did make the comment that she likes live basketball instead of seeing it on television. Perhaps there is hope that she will fully commit to Operation 351 in the future.

This was the first time that I have seen cheerleaders do no other move other than flying back flips across the court. It was fun to watch but their chants were hard to hear standing at the back of the gym. They never did come out once to lead the crowd in a cheer. No big deal for me but you tend to notice little things like this when you are on your forty second game.

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As with many of my games, I am not familiar with the personnel or how the team is doing for the year. However, I can pick up indicators from the roster that tends to make one team favorite over the other. When I see two senior guards that probably have played together for four years, I always see solid play from these individuals. They seem to know where the other guard is at all times and rarely make stupid decisions. This was the case of UNH senior guards  Jaleen Smith and Daniel Dion. Their team play made the difference in the game for UNH.

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Speaking of Operation 351, I heard that that there may be 2 more teams entering the Division 1 arena making 353 Division 1 teams. So let me state here that this journey, this mission will always be named Operation 351. I will add or drop teams as they migrate to or from Division 1 to complete my goal but the name stays the same.

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This was a hard fought America East battle with Binghamton coming back in the second half from a large deficit to make it interesting in the end. UNH’s superior ball handling was valuable in wasting time off the clock to thwart Binghamton’s comeback.

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St. Peters NJ (54) vs. Siena (56) 01/08/2017

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#41 of 351     12% complete

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The plan today was to drive to Boston to see Northeastern play James Madison. The snow storm in Boston led to an adjustment in plans resulting in this game in Albany.  WAZE took me on some state roads through the northwest corner of the state saving a few minutes instead of the interstate route of I-84/I-91 and I-90. Sometimes common sense must prevail instead of trusting an app. The roads were dark and slippery as we meandered north.

This was the second year in a row that I had to reschedule Northeastern and then found that there were no more available dates for the rest of the year. My goal of completing the New England states must wait another year. I will be hitting New Hampshire next week leaving Northeastern as the last remaining school in New England.

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This was my first trip ever to Albany. The lit up skyline was a sight to see as we proceeded on I-787 entering the city. The Trans Union Center was a short ride off of the exit. It was under some construction but it is your typical “way-too-big” arena for the teams it hosts like  Siena and the hockey Albany Ducks. As you enter the arena, you are greeted by large black curtains around the higher elevations.

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Kudos to the arena for holding the “Taste of NY Craft Beer Festival” during the game. For $15, you got samples of local craft beers and a place to stand on the floor during the game. Also many types of beer were sold at the concession stands. I have never seen so much promotion of beer at a college game.

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The was the first game in my Operation 351 journey where were no band, no cheerleaders, no dance team and no student section. It is not a school break when this might be expected. It was very quiet except for the cheering local fans. However, the attendance was more than expected with many families. Siena has not had much success lately so it was nice to see the local support.

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The game was close throughout in this MAAC affair. The old gentleman next me said that Siena lost some close heart breakers over the past couple of weeks so this was a great win for them. I love watching the old guys in the crowd complain about every call and cheer like there is no tomorrow. I see this more with smaller teams and venues vs. the P5 powers.

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The player of the game was Marquis Wright of Siena. This craft 6’1″ guard had some nifty moves and made some key shots at the end. One can tell who the team leader is by how they step up to the plate when needed.

Did you ever see a play where you know the coach is going to talk to the player after the game? With Siena leading by two points, Siena grabs the rebound. The player takes off down the court to what looks like an easy layup. Well he gets blocked. The St. Peters’ player grabs the rebound, dribbles up to half court and launches a game tying shot. The ball bounded off the rim. I can hear the Siena coach screaming now about running out the clock!

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Manhattan (61) vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (54) 12/20/2016

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#40 of 351/ 11% complete

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This was indeed the smallest gym I have ever been to in my entire life. That includes countless middle school, high school, college and pro arenas. It does not get more intimate than this with a 1200 seat capacity. I attended the game with my daughter Hope who was visiting friends in New York City. She did ask on multiple occasions, “This is Division 1 basketball?”.

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Both rosters were filled with NYC players. Although the teams are in separate leagues, one could tell by the jawing back and forth between both teams that many of the players were on rival teams in the NYC high school scene. As you see the banners in the above picture, I noticed the absence of an NCAA tournament banner. Yes,  the St. Francis Terriers are also one of only five Division I programs to have never participated in the NCAA tournament.

 

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I don’t like to bad mouth any player but I can not resist when discussing Ahmed Ismail from Manhattan. I saw this 7′ 2″ Egyptian giant warming up  and was intrigued.  He would surely dominate this game with his height. On the contrary, I have never seen a worse big man on the college level ever. He hustled and was genuinely trying out there. However, he fumbled 95% of the balls that came to him whether they were passes or rebounds. I am convinced that Ismail was signed sight unseen strictly because of his height. I actually felt sorry for him as the game went on. He is in the center of the picture below.

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Player of the game goes to Manhattan guard Zavier Turner. This 5′ 9″ dynamo guard was quicker than anyone else on the floor plus was accurate with his 3 pointers. He is from Indiana so you have to wonder how he ended up in Manhattan. He led all scorers with 26 points.

For those looking for a great place to eat in Brooklyn, check out Harvey’s End. We had excellent salmon and gnocchi. As a key lime connoisseur, I had my first taste of Persian Key lime pie. I am still thinking about it this morning.

Since this will be my last game of the year, happy holidays to all my friends and family!

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Lamar (61) vs. Depaul (80) 12/06/16

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#39 of 351

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This game wraps up my stay in Chicago. Three games in four nights!

So this is one of those games held in a beautiful large arena with a very small number of fans occupying the seats. The entire upper level was empty. This despite a little known fact that Depaul is the largest catholic university  in the nation although I would have said Notre Dame. The hey days of Mark Aquirre and George Mikan are but ghosts in this empty arena.

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It was sort of a UCONN reunion night for me. The Depaul head coach is Dave Leitao who was Jim Calhoun’s assistant coach at Northeastern and UCONN in the mid 80’s. Leitao left for an unsuccessful stint at Virginia before returning to Depaul.

The Depaul assistant coach Patrick Sellers was also an assistant at UCONN under Calhoun. Sellers left under suspicion for playing a major part in the Nate Miles scandal that rocked UCONN in 2010. He had to hide for a year in China before attempting to make his way back into the coaching ranks in the states.

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The Depaul fans have a ritual when there is a two shot foul. When the announcer says “shooting two shots”, the fans slap their hands on the the chair two times. I almost dropped my beer the first time when my seat neighbor did this. I feel it is my call to document the strange habits of college basketball fans as I come across them.

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Lamar from Beaumont, Texas (in case you were wondering) played hard but could not keep up with the more talented Demons. These small schools lack the size and quickness to keep with a team from the Big East. As the score became more and more in Depaul’s favor, both teams abandoned defense. “Jack up the stats” became the motto in the second half.

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The player of the game was Depaul Eli Cain. The 6’6″ sophomore forward is a break out star in the Big East. He was on the Big East All-Freshman team last year. He scored 21 points tonight in all different ways highlighting his versatility. He will be the lone bright spot for Depaul this year in what may be a long year for the Demons.

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I need to see Chicago State and Northwestern to compete the city circuit. Goodbye Chicago for now but I will be back.

 

 

Eastern Illinois (90) vs University of Illinois at Chicago (76) 12-4-16

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#38 of 351

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On a snowy day, today was the second game on my Windy City tour. The snow kept down the crowd to minimum. I would bet that the total number of players, cheerleaders and pep band members outnumbered the fans. Both teams are 4-3 and not much is expected this year from either team. The UIC staff should put curtains around the upper level since it was completely empty.

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I felt sorry for the mascot seen above. There was nothing for him to do except wander around and high five the few kids that were there. The cheerleaders and dance team were trying their best to ignite a non-existent crowd. Kudos to the few fathers who brought out their little girls to watch this game. I tried very hard to get a thrown T-shirt from the cheerleaders but I would have given it to this little girl who cheered unashamedly despite her beloved Flames losing throughout the game.

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The display underneath the scorer’s table had a cool effect. The UIC are named the Flames. Occasionally  flames would come up from the floor on the screen. I have a picture below to illustrate this. It looks like the player is sitting in a fire.

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As far as the game goes, Eastern Illinois led most of the way before the quiet crowd. I was very impressed with Panther (EIU) Cornell Johnston. He is listed at 5’7″ and 150 pounds. That is being very generous. Johnston was the player of the game by far. He drove by his defenders with ease. His dribbling skills were amazing to watch. This St.Louis product is a junior who will make some noise in the Ohio Valley Conference.

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UIC plays Valparaiso late this year. It was publicized as a national broadcast game on ESPNU something that the big programs take for advantage. If you ever feel jaded  or take for granted the success of your P5 team, come down and watch one of these games. It will do you wonders.

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San Diego State (59) Vs. Loyola Chicago (65) 12-03-16

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#37 of 351

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This game begins my stretch of 3 games in Chicago in four nights. My Southwest Airlines points were used for a free flight. I am sleeping at my daughter’s apartment and using her car when needed. Not a bad gig!

I checked the start time in Connecticut and saw a 4 PM start time. I left early enough because of my unfamiliarity with driving the Chicago streets. I arrived a little after 3PM assuming I would have time to hang out and survey the surroundings. As I bought the ticket, the student informed me that I only missed the first 5 minutes. As I figured out later, the 4PM time was for Eastern Standard time which equates to 3PM Central time here in Chicago. Another lesson learned on the journey to 351!

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It was cool to see San Diego State coach Steve Fisher (pictured below). Astute college BB fans will remember Steve as the coach of the Michigan Fab Five. It is amazing that he is still in coaching and doing a great job with the Aztecs.

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This game was part of the Missouri Valley Conference vs. Mountain West Challenge in case you were wondering why these two teams would meet. It was the first meeting ever between them. I was sitting in a very large contingent of San Diego state fans wondering why anyone would want to leave beautiful San Diego for cold Chicago.

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A little know fact is that Loyola won the NCAA national championship in 1963 defeating Cincinnati in the title game. But what was more interesting was the semi final game vs. Mississippi State. The state of Mississippi had a state law prohibiting a college team from playing any school with a black player. Loyola actually had four black players. The game was played in violation of a court order.

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Player of the game goes to Aundre Jackson of Loyola. The JUCO transfer from McLennan CC was a whirling machine outquicking and overpowering all Aztec defenders. He finished with 24 points hitting 11 out of 12 shots. He started in place of their injured star player Donte Ingram and became the star himself tonight.

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So not to be confused with Loyola Maryland, Loyola New Orleans or Loyola Marymount, the Loyola Ramblers pulled off a mighty upset tonight to the delight of the small but loud fans in the Gentile arena.

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New York Institute of Technology (75) vs. Fordham (101) 11/14/16

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#36 of 351

IMG_0422.JPGThe Rose Hill Gym is the oldest on-campus venue currently in use by a Division 1 club. Opened in 1925, the gym is surrounded by stone walls as if someone dropped a basketball court in the middle of a mid-evil courtyard. These are the kind of gyms that ooze character and history much like Yale’s Payne Whitney gym. I inserted a picture  above of some cathedral windows overlooking the court. The arena is very small and unimposing but it makes for great viewing of a basketball game.

So for the scary part! I did not do a thorough job of researching the Bronx neighborhood and the route from the train station to the gym. I read that it was a short walk. As I exited the train station, I saw the campus behind me. So I used WAZE to map the streets to the gym. The smart thing would have been to use Google Maps to map out a walk to the gym. So as I meandered down the first street, my heat beat quickened as I saw that I was not in friendly territory.  As I passed shuttered store fronts and loud music emanating from wherever, I quickened my pace to a very fast walk. I discretely kept looking at the phone without advertising myself as a tourist. I was picturing a gang of youths hanging out on the street corner ahead licking their chops at this target walking towards them. Nonetheless, I made the 10 minute walk in record time. Once inside the campus walls,  I felt safer. After the game, I opened up Google maps and found a walking path from the gym to the station within the campus. Lesson learned!

Inside the campus, I asked an older gentleman where the gym was. He gladly showed me and as we walked, we conversed about his old days at Fordham when he graduated in 1961. He showed me the green area where he played intramural sports. He was a pharmacy major who later became a lawyer. The workload forced him to drop out of the four major sports he was playing except for baseball. As we walked by buildings, he would describe each one. These are the moments that make it all fun – interacting with the older alumni who love their school.

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The crowd was very small which I am guessing was due to their Division 2 opponent. NYIT kept it close during the first half but the Fordham completely overran them in the second half.

I have noticed a roster pattern when you have a small Division 1 school fighting for recruits among the bigger schools in the area. This is the case with Fordham and the other borough schools. If you examine the Rams roster,  half of the players are from other countries. Fordham has players from Germany, Canada, Czech Republic and Turkey. I suppose it is important for coaches in these situations to have contacts overseas that may bring in a good but unknown player.

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My player of the game  was Ram Joseph Chartouny from Canada. He had 17 points and 14 assists. One could tell that Chartouny knew exactly what he wanted to do with the ball making the right decisions on whether to shoot or pass. He was selected on the preseason  first team for the A-10. Given UCONN’s troubles lately,  he would add immense value to their offense.

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The pep band was loud and raucous. The noise must be outrageous for a game with a rival given the small size of the gym.

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So I have two NYC teams down this year  and three to go. On to Chicago for a 5 day/ 3 game trip!

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Columbia (73) vs. Stony Brook (66) 11/11/2016

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#35 of 351

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Welcome to the start of season 3 for Operation 351. My goals this year are to complete the New England states and the New York City teams. I will also be taking trips to Chicago, Mississippi, Maryland and D.C.

I toyed with the idea of taking the ferry from Bridgeport. But the $52 fare plus the possibility of missing the last boat  dissuaded me. So I drove the 2 1/2 hours from Connecticut instead. I had my usual pre game supper and beer at the  The Bench & Bar & Grill in Stony Brook. The bar was populated with a few fans excited for the new season. They will be disappointed tonight.

Stony Brook is coming off a big season winning the America East championship last year. Tonight they unfurled the championship banner in a pre-game ceremony. Unfortunately, their excellent coach from last year Steve Pikiell took the head coaching job at Rutgers as as result of his success. Jell Boals the long time assistant at Ohio State has taken the position of head coach at Stony Brook.

Columbia also has a first year coach in Jim Engles. He  returns to Columbia after spending the past eight years as head coach for the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

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I was very impressed with the Island Federal Credit Union arena as the home of the Seawolves. The school’s recent successes fuel a strong spirit in this sleepy little Long Island town. It is reflected in this new arena and student support during the games especially the loud and raucous pep band. Although I have to mention that there were many empty seats on this opening night which surprised me.

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Columbia surprisingly dominated most of the game until Stony Brook battled back in the second half to make the game close. The big basket at the end to give Columbia a safe margin was a double pump three point shot by Columbia guard Mike Smith leaving the crowd speechless.

I have to give shout outs to two Columbia players.

Mike Smith is a 5’10” freshman from Illinois that was quicker than anyone else on the court last night. Despite his small size, he penetrated with ease and hit some mid jumpers. He had 14 points for the night. Not the typical Ivy league player, he appears ready to make a name for himself in the years to come.

Luke Petrasek is a 6’10” junior who is as comfortable shooting a 3 pointer as he is posting inside. He scored 20 points despite playing only 22 minutes. I expect that Columbia will make some noise this year in the Ivy League.

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I believe that Stony Brook will have problems this year duplicating the success of last year. While that have some good fundamental players, their lack of size and quickness will come into play during the season. Perhaps they will need time adjusting to Beal’s coaching philosophy.

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I am thankful that the college basketball season has started after the horrendous UCONN football season. Till next time….

 

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Minnesota (53) vs. Rutgers (75) 03/05/2016

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This is the last game in Operation351 for this year. As I am running out of sites that are doable in one day, next year will bring more overnighters. I was hoping to get to 35 games this year maintaining an average of 35 games every 2 years. This will lead to a completion of Operation351 in 18 years with 2 years under my belt. I fell one short but am pretty satisfied with my progress. I have visited new cities and made new friends along they way. Next year, I have 5 arenas in NYC, University of New Hampshire and Northeastern to complete all the New England states and NYC.

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I did not pick a very good game today with Rutgers having a very off year plus Minnesota being wracked with suspensions. Minnesota did not have one starter on the court from the beginning of the year. I can honestly say that the Gophers were the worst team that I saw this year. The Rutgers crowd were very happy to have a win irregardless of the circumstances.

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I remember the RAC from the days when UCONN would have epic Big East battles here. It was a place to be feared. It was like I could almost hear the ghost voices of the raucous crowd that would create a very tough arena to win. Those days are gone with Rutgers occupying the bottom of the Big Ten. The crowd was relatively quiet and resigned to another losing season.

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Well a first did happen here today. In my 34 games, I have never caught anything tossed into the crowd. Today, I caught a beer holder  with the big “R” on it. Not sure if I would ever use it but it gave me hope for the future. Later that night at the UCONN hockey game, a T-shirt bounced off my crotch into the row in front and out of my reach. Life is full of ups and downs!

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The RAC looked like a Big 10 arena but had the atmosphere of the Ohio Valley Conference. I think most fans are in a state of a shock on how poorly Rutgers has played this year. I was impressed by the play of sophomore guard Mike Williams who scored 29 points off an array of outside shooting and whirling layups. It is hard to tell how good he actually is against the Gophers porous defense but he looked impressive.

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I was joined for this final game by my friend Andy who shares my craziness about sports. We followed this game by a ride to Hartford to see UCONN’s last hockey game this year. Our spouses just shake their head in amazement at our travels.

So my friends, I hope that you all have a great summer. God willing, I will back in November for season 3 of Operation351. Thanks for sharing this journey with me!

 

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Holy Cross (68) vs. Boston University (83) 02/27/2016

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#33 of 351

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I was accompanied on this doubleheader day by my cousin Mike who loves all sports. We headed over to the Heat/Celtics game after this one. Before the game, we met up with Greg and Ryan who are fellow Basketball Passporters and rabid Boston U. fans. The brothers graduated from Boston University in 2013 and attend every home BU game. Greg reached out to me via the Passport web site so we decided to head to the Sunset Cantina before the game to talk about what else college basketball and specifically his beloved Terriers.

Boston U was missing four starters today through injuries but needed this game to host the first Patriot league tourney game. I was given the lowdown of the Terriers by Greg and Ryan. They have a strong passion for their team which hits home for me. They have also done a little traveling trying to bring up their Passport numbers. I found out that the BU head coach Joe Jones is the brother of the Yale head coach. I learned that center Blaise Mbargorba from Cameroon like many African transplants played almost no basketball growing up but was good at soccer. Amidah Brimah of UConn has the same story.  Greg and Ryan left early to catch the senior ceremony but it was great to talk college BB with fellow fanatics. Thanks to Greg and Ryan for their hospitality! I never root for a team on my travels but in this case I was a Terrier fan for the day.

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Case Arena was your typical small arena that I have come across in my journey. However, this was the first small arena where every seat was a chair back. We also had to climb a few flights of stairs because the arena is on top of the building.

The pep band was loud. The crowd was very enthusiastic. John Papale was one of the seniors who put on a great shooting display. I came to learn later on that he was named on of the top 25 3-point shooters in the country by ESPN.

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I was impressed with the play of previously mentioned 6′ 11″ B.U. center Blaise Mbargorba. He look very polished and comfortable with outstanding footwork and a soft touch. He is a junior so I will keep an eye on him next year.

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So here is my meaningless rant for the day. When the cheerleaders throw T-shirts in the crowd, can they sometimes climb the stairs and reach some of the folks who are sitting up higher up? Now I don’t really want a T-shirt but I witnessed a little boy in the arms of his father who was crying because the shirts were never thrown close to him. You could make the case that the father should teach the boy that life is very hard and to get a grip. Had I caught one, I would have given it to him.

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Despite being short handed, the Terriers went on for a victory over the Crusaders. Boston U. fans await the Patriot tourney because winning it all is their only hope of making the NCAA dance. Hey Greg and Ryan — I will  be rooting for you!

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